City considers swapping land to build a replica fountain

Published: Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 04:51 PM.

Ruggieri said he didn’t know, and Mike Epperson, city manager, said they would have to come back to the board when they get an appraisal.

According to the Craven County tax records, the city property is valued at $15,000. The Bengels’ property would be only a small portion of the lot they own at the Pollock and Queen streets intersection.

Kathy Adolph, a New Bern resident, told aldermen she was in favor of the land swap. It would provide a public space and create a vibrant community, she said.

But not all of the aldermen were in agreement.

Aldermen Victor Taylor and Bernard White said there was a lot of pedestrian traffic in the area where the fountain may go and they were concerned about safety.

Mayor Lee Bettis said people in the community would have more of a say in what goes on the property once the city had control of it.

Epperson said the issue would have to come back to the board once an appraisal is done. The area is not wheelchair accessible at this time, but the city would make improvements to the property, he said.

New Bern aldermen approved negotiating a possible land swap of city property Tuesday night for a portion of land owned by Alderman Sabrina Bengel and her husband that may be used to site a replica of a historic fountain that used to be near the location.

Bengel abstained from the discussion and consensus vote during the Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday.

The land exchange would be one of the first steps toward the New Bern Gateway Renaissance plan that includes rebuilding the historic fountain located in the Five Points area as one of the gateways to the city. The first step came Tuesday night when aldermen rezoned 15 properties on the south side of Broad Street to provide space for potential retail outlets.

The city will now negotiate with the Bengels for 0.03 acres located at the intersection of Pollock and Queen streets where an existing billboard stands in exchange for a small 0.025 acre parking lot the city owns behind Chelsea Restaurant near the intersection of Middle and Broad streets.

If an agreement is reached, the final terms and conditions of the exchange will be presented to the board for approval at a later date.

Jeff Ruggieri, director of development services, said everything was very preliminary and he did not know where the fountain would actually go.

Alderman Johnnie Ray Kinsey asked about the difference in value of the two parcels of land.

Ruggieri said he didn’t know, and Mike Epperson, city manager, said they would have to come back to the board when they get an appraisal.

According to the Craven County tax records, the city property is valued at $15,000. The Bengels’ property would be only a small portion of the lot they own at the Pollock and Queen streets intersection.

Kathy Adolph, a New Bern resident, told aldermen she was in favor of the land swap. It would provide a public space and create a vibrant community, she said.

But not all of the aldermen were in agreement.

Aldermen Victor Taylor and Bernard White said there was a lot of pedestrian traffic in the area where the fountain may go and they were concerned about safety.

Mayor Lee Bettis said people in the community would have more of a say in what goes on the property once the city had control of it.

Epperson said the issue would have to come back to the board once an appraisal is done. The area is not wheelchair accessible at this time, but the city would make improvements to the property, he said.

“We certainly don’t want to discourage pedestrians,” Epperson said, adding he wanted the area to look less industrial.

“One thing that will happen is the billboard would go down,” he said.

Concerns about turning the area into one of the city’s renaissance gateways could be considered during the design of the property, Epperson said.

Eddie Fitzgerald can be reached at 635-5675 or at eddie.fitzgerald@newbernsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @staffwriter3.